Access to clean water cuts to the core of democracy. To see why, read my article published in Wordpeace, a literary online journal for peace and social justice. The Summer/Fall War and Peace issue, h includes poems, stories, essays, and visual art reflecting on the world’s current struggles. My article in the non-fiction section, questions whether water is a right or a commodity. To read the essay, go to https://wordpeace.co/marilynne-eichinger/
The Water Factor is a Firebird International Award winner for best dystopian novel and a Literary Titan recipient for best thriller. Though fun to read, it carries a severe message about water scarcity. It is available in ebook, paperback, and audio formats. It can be purchased on AMAZON, Barnes and Noble, and as an audiobook on Amazon, Audible, and iTunes. Ask your bookstore to order a copy from Ingram. Please leave a review on Amazon after reading.
What Happened to Our Democracy?
“The world’s most powerful democracies are mired in seemingly intractable problems at home, including social and economic disparities, partisan fragmentation, terrorist attacks, and an influx of refugees that has strained alliances and increased fears of the ‘other.’” A Freedom House report.
Both right and left-wing pundits shout that democracy is in trouble and the “other” party is the cause. They make me wonder if the situation is as dire as they say. Our country has overcome political turmoil several times over the past hundred years. The Great Depression, World War II, the Cold War, and Vietnam gave rise to assassinations, riots, and a disgraced president. People distrusted our country’s economic system and the military-industrial complex and abhorred racial and political diversity, yet the underlying tenets of our democracy held firm. They trusted the voting system, and though some disagreed with the decisions, they didn’t question the Supreme Court’s loyalty to the Constitution.
The people’s will came into question after two of the last four presidents won the popular vote, yet the opposition took office. That, along with the increasing use of filibusters, makes Senators unable to pass bills even when representing the majority of Americans. Representation in The House is also skewed, not reflecting the popular will because of gerrymandering. Political games have weakened the post office, FDA, OSHA, and EPA. The 2025 Republican document threatens the National Water Bureau with closure because water forecasters discuss global warming. After the Supreme Court treated corpora as individuals, special interest donations soared. This led to book bans, eliminating a woman’s right to choose and threats to gay, lesbian, and minority rights.
We say our country is democratic, yet we don’t allow the majority opinion to prevail. Laws governing taxation, the environment, and workplace protections favor the wealthy and penalize the middle class. Despite this, poor, rural, religious extremists and uneducated citizens continue to vote for wealthy oligarchs. How can the country consider itself a democracy when California, the world’s 5th largest economy, with a GDP of nearly $3.9 trillion in 2023 and a population of over 39 million, has the same number of Senators as South Dakota, the 47th worst U.S. economy with approximately 902,000 residents?
The recent trend toward authoritarianism is fueled by the frustration and cultural biases of those afraid of diversity. Democracy in a multicultural society creates challenges that require compromise and expanding attitudes toward gender, language, and foreign values. It is easier to reside in a monolithic society like Japan, Israel, Poland, North Korea, or Tanzania, where there is geographic isolation and religious and racial homogeneity. Nazi Germany practiced monoculturalism through genocide and a campaign for Pan-German nationalism. Democracy requires compromise for it to succeed.
The United States is the polar opposite of a monocultural society; it is a country with the greatest racial, ethnic, and religious diversity. Unfortunately, our differences spark a divisiveness that rears its head occasionally. We tarred, feathered, and hung enslaved Black people, sent Japanese citizens to internment camps, and labeled liberals as Communists because they wanted social reforms. White Christian Nationalist is rearing its ugly head once more in a country where forty-one percent of the people are not white, and thirty-seven percent say they are not Christian. The twenty-eight percent unaffiliated group is growing.
The U.N. has its hands full, and so do Americans. Thankfully, some counter-trends bring the world together. Trade and issues around global warming and technology create unifying standards. Kellogg’s, Coca-Cola, Microsoft, PayPal, Mobile, Visa, Dove, Lipton, and Toyota are a few of the companies that sell worldwide. Coca-Cola, the most widespread, is restricted in North Korea.
The world’s future depends on getting along and compromising for the betterment of humanity and the plants and creatures that inhabit the globe with us. Though it may be difficult, there is no other choice if we are to survive. We will never be a democratic nation if billionaires contribute millions to elect candidates who will help them line their pockets with gold.
First, let’s keep the media and political pundits from lying and spreading rumors on social media. The winner-take-all nature of the Electoral College in most states exaggerates the problem, holding Americans captive by a minority opinion of Americans. Getting rid of it is a reasonable option. Access to water is a democratic issue. Should our citizens be held hostage by companies selling it for excessive gain? Can’t we have access to clean water at a reasonable price?
Let’s Sing Leonard Cohen’s song about democracy loud and clear.
“Democracy”
It’s coming through a hole in the air,
from those nights in Tiananmen Square.
It’s coming from the feel
that this ain’t exactly real,
or it’s real, but it ain’t exactly there.
From the wars against disorder,
from the sirens night and day,
from the fires of the homeless,
from the ashes of the gay:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.
It’s coming through a crack in the wall;
on a visionary flood of alcohol;
from the staggering account
of the Sermon on the Mount
which I don’t pretend to understand at all.
It’s coming from the silence
on the dock of the bay,
from the brave, the bold, the battered
heart of Chevrolet:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.
***
To listen to the entire song, go to https://www.onourselvesandothers.com/democracy-usa-leonard-cohen/
Do comment on my blog site at www.eichingerfireart.com
References:
Why Democracy is in Peril and What we Can do About it Aspen Ideas. Retrieved from https://www.aspenideas.org/sessions/why-democracy-is-in-peril-and-what-we-can-do-about-it?
Why pluralism is shared for democracies. Washington Post. retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/04/25/yascha-mounk-why-pluralism-is-so-hard-for-democracy/
Pluralism: a vital challenge of the 21st century. THE Elders. Retrieved from https://theelders.org/news/pluralism-key-challenge-21st-century
Leonhardt, D. (2023) A Crisis Comment: The Twin Threats to American Democracy, New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/17/us/american-democracy-threats.html
Conversi, D. (2008). “Democracy, Nationalism, and Culture: A Social Critique of Liberal Monoculturalism.” Sociology Compass. 2 (1): 156–182. doi:10.1111/j.1751-9020.2007.00063.x.
Barbaro, Mi. (2016). Donald Trim Clung to Birther Lie for Years and Still Isn’t Apologetic. NY Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/17/us/politics/donald-trump-obama-birther.html?_r=0
